A Night of Comedy

I'm not sure why they call it the Sunset Strip;
it reads Sunset Bl.

One of the oldest jokes told by thousands of comedians the world over is how their wives can never pass up a sale and how they simply nod their heads at how much money they’re told they saved while discovering there is no money left in their account to pay the bills. I have always considered myself fortunate because Debbie really does not like to shop—even the sales. However, when she is given a gift card, a coupon for something free, or a ticket for a free show, it doesn’t matter that there is a minimum purchase or a sales presentation required, as long as she gets her free item she is satisfied, or more to the point, elated.

For the past several decades Debbie and I have donated blood every couple months. We have always appreciated the water, juice and cookies provided by the American Red Cross after we have given our pint. When they started giving vouchers for the Laugh Factory, we became part of the audience. All right, so it costs a few gallons of gas to drive to Hollywood (Long Beach is closer, but for some reason we haven’t made it to that club, yet.), there is no free parking and a standard two-drink minimum.

The very sign under which we were standing
when we saw Kevin Nealon on our previous trip.

Until last year our trips to the club were on the weekend, because we had to get up early for work during the week, but then we retired. So, our last trip before last night found us waiting in line on a Tuesday night. In typical Hollywood fashion we saw a guy dressed like Jesus, and another guy who looked like a younger version of Samuel L. Jackson. Then, Kevin Nealon, a SNL and Weeds cast member and the headliner, walked past with a clipboard. Later, he was standing next to me in the men’s room. I racked my brain for something clever to say, but realized I might be interfering with his concentration. As I headed for the bathroom door and he bent over the sink, I said, “Break a leg,” to which he responded, “Thanks.”

I think some of the humor at this club
has gone to the dogs.

Since we had two vouchers, each good for a pair of tickets, we invited our daughter Heather and her boyfriend, Jonathan, to join us. We picked them up after they got home from work and drove to the famous Sunset Strip. Traffic wasn’t too bad, so we were able to get a good place in line and sat in the fourth row.

Deb decided to check out the bathroom to see if Whitney Cummings, star of Whitney, creator of Two Broke Girls and the headliner, was in there. As it turned out, she cancelled and sent her Whitney co-star, Chris D’Elia, in her place.  His humor was pretty good, but I particularly enjoyed KT Tatara, whose lack of an Asian accent apparently baffles people. He pointed out he was only half-Asian, as his father was the only Asian besides Bruce Lee in the 70s to marry a white woman, instead of the other way around. Eric Schwartz, the bald headed rapper, who closed the show after D’Elia, delivered one great joke after another. He did a great take on Taylor Swift as a stalker and another on the sign of a heart people make with their hands actually being a set of upside down balls. By far, however, the best joke was that after tax, tip and parking, it cost only $125 for a free night of comedy.